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—Earmarks, which many thought would never go away, are now taboo - even to earmark addicts like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who reluctantly gave them up after the 2010 election.

—Deficits are all the rage on Capitol Hill, and will be until Congress wends its way through the debt limit fight and the next budget. The word “deficit” appeared in 470 documents in the Congressional Record between the beginning of January and the end of March, more than in any session’s opening since 1995, according to a review by POLITICO. And Americans listened: Asked by Gallup to identify the most important problem facing the nation, 13 percent said “federal debt” in March of this year, up from 8 percent a year ago.

—The broader budget debate is now fought on the tea party’s terms: It’s not whether to reduce government, it’s by how much. This helps explain why serious centrist commentators and even some liberals PRAISED a $6 trillion budget cut plan proposed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.). Remember how a similar plan was received two years ago?

—Thanks to a pickup of 675 legislative seats in 2010 - many because of these budget principles — the most sweeping work is getting done in states. Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana are now working, real-time labs for discovering how much the party can cut government - without cutting off the support of independents. A GOP senator told us the party studies what happens in these state showdowns to test the limits of what will work here. One early finding: Many think Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) went too far, too fast by gutting union power without first educating the public.

—The real fight over spending erupted in late spring of 2009, and consider the results: The GOP won the governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey in 2009; the Scott Brown Senate race in Massachusetts in early 2010; then won back the House, picked up Senate seats and captured the most state legislative seats in a single year since Watergate — all in November of last year.

“The country knows it’s in serious trouble,” Gingrich said. “You see this with Scott Walker, you see it with John Kasich [in Ohio], you see it with Rick Scott [in Florida], you see it with Chris Christie [in New Jersey], you see it with Mitch Daniels [in Indiana].”

House Republican leadership aides, emboldened by the outcome of this budget fight, told us they plan to force more spending cuts, plus budget reforms, as the price of Republican votes to support the administration on raising the nation’s debt limit – a debate expected to take place in May and June, and possibly backing up into July.

Obama must be counting his blessings since Governor Christie said he not interested in running for the Presidency in 2012. How refreshing for a politician stating he won't seek an office based on political expediency .

Hurray for the GOP! They stopped the radical muslim socialist agenda being implemented from the WHITE House. Now to it's time to take back our WHITE House from the kenyan born occupant waging jihad against America.

Demand more Tax Cuts for the Wealthy, WE WILL GET THEM!!!

Demand and end to so called "unemployment benefits"!

Demand and end to socialist Medicare and Social Security!

Demand and end to Abortion, we made progress this time!

Demand the end to the building of Obama's 9/11 Victory Mosque being built at Ground Zero in NYC!

Make no mistake, Obama did pretty well himself last week. Like any good politician, he’s sure to take credit

huh ? POLITCO please correct the follow line to read as:

"No doubt about it, Obama did a horrible job last week. Like any president will poll numbers below around 47%, he's sure to lose in 2012............"

POLITCO maybe we should have Judge Prosser's picture up there too....

The mob-run Public Unions, the Democrat Party, and yes my friends in the liberal/progressive MSM wolfpack press really took that one on the chin.......................too bad that Democrat that left out a Republican city from the results didn't get away with stealing another election for the Democrats........

POLITCO it would be great to get a cross-section of stories that the left-wing MSM wolfpack press were putting out when it APPEARED as the Democrat judge had won the election............. especially the stories coming from the ASSociated Press, NYTimes, and Washington POST..........boy our corrupt MSM wolfpack press got caught exposing their left-wing bias.......

Folks lets flip the Senate in 2012 to the GOP .....................hire Mitt Romney as president and then go to work..............first killing Obamacare and then address the issues: Jobs, Deficit, Entitlement reforms............... I can see Ryan and Romney really working well on deficit reduction and with a GOP Senate we can really get some serious stuff done................

Obama must be counting his blessings since Governor Christie said he not interested in running for the Presidency in 2012. How refreshing for a politician stating he won't seek an office based on political expediency .

In a poll conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University, Christie takes 40 percent of the support, compared to 46 percent for Obama in a national election, although he doesn't fare as well in his home state. According to the PPP survey Obama leads Christie 55 percent to 38 percent in New Jersey. The sampling of 520 likely voters was taken April 3-6. The margin of error was 4.3 percent.

The winners and losers of this weekend’s 11th-hour budget deal may be in dispute. But the broader trajectory of politics, stretching back to the spring of 2009, is not. The Republican — and, yes, the tea party — agenda is not only ascendant, it’s driving the debate over reshaping government at every level.

The evidence of this is all the lib berating and name calling. When libs start losing a debate there's a marked increase in snotty punk lefties calling their fellow Americans ignorant and stupid. As the debate goes on and they continue to lose, they get down right belligerent. Look at all the lefties that have just been banned and have come slithering back with new screennames around here lately.

BTW Politico. Any way we can keep some of these people banned for a change?

A reasonable article including items like the President trying to claim credit (they all do), and a mistake on the Planned Parenthood issue which almost lost this fight for the Republicans because it gave an ideological talking point to the opposition.

But instead of the Republicans "Leading the Fight" or "winning", it is more "listening to the citizens" who are and should be leading. The "Tea Party" was a spontaneous movement brought about by the gross grab by the government for power over our lives and pocketbooks. One hopes the voters can see through the firestorm of political rhetoric and fawning press coverage to see who genuinely supports cutting away the past few years government increase and who will go back to "gimmee more" once the lies taking credit work and they are returned to office.

And kids, it ain't just Republican -- as the article states, even the son of an uber-liberal former governor and member of the Clinton government, Andrew Cuomo of New York, has reached across the aisle to State leader Dean Skelos and (it appears) genuinely embrace putting the brakes on. If we're not careful, we're going to erase the memory of the Pelosi Congress that proved the old adage that "absolute power corrupts absolutely" and get back to being a great, responsible country.

Obama must be counting his blessings since Governor Christie said he not interested in running for the Presidency in 2012. How refreshing for a politician stating he won't seek an office based on political expediency .

In a poll conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University, Christie takes 40 percent of the support, compared to 46 percent for Obama in a national election, although he doesn't fare as well in his home state. According to the PPP survey Obama leads Christie 55 percent to 38 percent in New Jersey. The sampling of 520 likely voters was taken April 3-6. The margin of error was 4.3 percent.

They definitely got some spending cuts. But the facts don't reflect a high public opinion of Congress in general and Boehner's is now less popular than Pelosi in some polls. It's all too common in American Political Cycles that one party gets into power and over reaches and the public turns on them. I think we are seeing that happen before our eyes and its what killed the last cycle of Democratic domination with their health care monstrousity. However, there were good elements to that healthcare bill. I think its good that college students are covered and they ought not to be able to drop care of the sick and cut their losses but mandated care for all is not fair and was an over reach. They will go on the offensive and the independents will turn on them and they will get voted out of office. A lot of Americans are increasingly independent in their attitudes. I am one of those. I don't care for either party particulary and like it best when the two parties compromise and meet in the middle as singly they are too much about their agendas. We tend to get our best legislation out of compromise as one side doesn't get too much of their agenda.

At some point if we are serious about the budget. We need to cut certain things definitely but we are also going to have to raise taxes. Would I pay an extra 100 dollars on my taxes if it went towards the debt and I knew spending was going to be more reasonable, without a doubt, yes. I love my country and volunteered to fight in a war. I think to some extent its our duty to pay some taxes but I too don't like excessive government spending. I favor a flat tax for all with no deductables. I know this isn't popular or the like but it got the debt under control once in 90's to where we had a surplus before George W peed it away.

I think that we the American people should be the ones who vote on whether Congress gets a raise or not.

Republicans in Congress are threatening to shut down the entire government in order to scare America into accepting drastic cuts to public spending on things like health care, nutrition programs and education. At the exact same time, many of America's largest corporations will pay zero dollars in taxes on their billions in profits this year.

Tell corporations to pay up, this will offset the deficit and add the money needed for additional weeks of unemployment for the 99ers as well.

Republicans in Congress are threatening to shut down the entire government in order to scare America into accepting drastic cuts to public spending on things like health care, nutrition programs and education. At the exact same time, many of America's largest corporations will pay zero dollars in taxes on their billions in profits this year.

Tell corporations to pay up, this will offset the deficit and add the money needed for additional weeks of unemployment for the 99ers as well.

"But the broader trajectory of politics, stretching back to the spring of 2009, is not. The Republican — and, yes, the tea party — agenda is not only ascendant, it’s driving the debate over reshaping government at every level".

This is truly what is called perception;

"No doubt about it, Obama did a horrible job last week. Like any president will (with) poll numbers below around 47%, he's sure to lose in 2012............"

You know, it would've been nice if the party that F@#'d UP the country in the first place, would have thought about being a bit more fiscally conservative back when monkey-boy was still pretending to run things.

And yes, no matter how concerned the neo-cons pretend they are, it's pretty damned transparent that the 'protect the rich at all costs' Republican agenda grinds on, AGAINST the middle-class, and the poor, and the new-jobless, and new-homeless that they were so instrumental in creating.

So, go on, with your Sheen-like "winning" moment, but think about this: the union-busted, somewhat bloodied mainstream swath of average Americans are NOT going to forget come 2012. SO, enjoy your greedy little victories while you can. We have better memories than you think. And we will be using them at the ballot box.

Democrats try to pull them off on Defense of Marriage [Act], or they try to pull them off on immigration,” Gingrich said. “Boehner just ignores them: ‘Our future is bound up in Paul Ryan and the budget, the of government, getting the economy growing again.’ … They have been very methodical about: Where are the jobs? And let’s cut spending.”

The broader political concern for Republicans is this: Can they prevent Obama from claiming credit for the new frugal spirit? Obama wants to, and has more tools than his adversaries.

Yes indeed....just like St Willard Clinton, Obama will try to steal any accomplishment that the Republican House makes and label it for himself. I think however that now with the Internet that he'll have a much harder time than Clinton did because of the fact that more people are now watching DC and there are many more eyes and ears privy and open and reporting than there was in the days of Der oily Slickmeister's rein with only the left wing press schmoozer's reporting!

Yesterday Obama was stumping at the Lincoln Memorial and openly bamboozling the visitors of his marvelous accomplishment...I wonder how many bought into it?